92 SAVAGE SYANETIA. 



of game licence on the natives. In Svanetia 

 as yet no forester has been able to estab- 

 lish himself, and I don't envy the first half 

 dozen men who undertake the unpopular 

 office. 



But though the Svans still practise the 

 blood feud and refuse to recognise any autho- 

 rity which presumes to interfere with their 

 sporting rights, they have given up some of 

 the worst of their old evil ways. For in- 

 stance, in the memory of men still living 

 they were in the habit of saving themselves 

 any little trouble or expense incidental to the 

 maintenance of female children by filling the 

 mouths of all their hungry girl babies with n. 

 handful of liot ashes. One meal of this kind 

 was generally found to suffice for the strongest 

 infantine constitution ; and thus when the 

 Svans grew up and wanted a wife or a house- 

 keeper, they just slipped over into Radcha or 

 some other neighbouring district and carried 



